Tag: Almond Recipes

My sister, Julie, called me this morning and raved about a granola bar recipe she tried from Giada’s cookbook, Giada’s Feel Good Food. I had all of the ingredients on hand so I tweaked the recipe slightly and made these Super Easy Healthy Granola Bars, which came out awesome! I used liquid coconut oil instead of the safflower oil, added additional oats and vanilla, used golden raisins and added a combination pecans and walnuts instead of just walnuts. These are a fabulous gluten free healthy breakfast or mid or afternoon snack recipe. Since my daughter does not get a lunch break at school, this is the ideal blend of protein, fiber, carbohydrates to help her energized though her day. These also make a great travel snack, so try them now and thank me later!

My husband’s favorite travel destination is Scotland, and he continually raves about the Gleneagles, a magnificent French Chateaux set amid rolling hills in the heart of Scotland. With 232 rooms, 26 luxury suites, three championship golf courses, an ESPA spa and four restaurants, including Scotland’s only two Michelin stars in Scotland, I can see why. This Scotland destination is on my bucket list, but for now, I am thrilled to share this decadent Guiltless Chocolate Ganache Tart. This healthy recipes is made with raw Cacao and courtesy of Louise Westra, Naturopath at ESPA Life at Gleneagles Hotel. As summer (and swimsuit season) approaches, it is possible to eat right while still satisfying your chocolate cravings. It is going on our Mother’s day menu!

Proving that Scotland cuisine extends far beyond the stereotype of haggis and whisky, the luxurious Gleneagles (just a 1-hour drive from Edinburgh and Glasgow) serves up healthy, tempting cuisine at its ESPA Life wellness center. ESPA Life is home to a hand-picked team of alternative health and fitness specialists, offering personal programs to optimize guests’ wellbeing and vitality.

It is two weeks until Passover. I can’t believe it. So many people are on the ball and have already been emailing and messaging me for recipe ideas. Dessert recipes for passover are typically the tough challenger, but with the surge of recipes for gluten-free needs, more recipes exist online than ever. Here are some of my own recipes along along with a few other personal top 10 Passover dessert recipes. The photo aboove of Fudgy Chocolate Walnut Cookies via Food & Wine

Happy New Years! We are hanging out watching football today. Did you see the Texas A & M/Duke game? Wow! For New Years Day, I made this Nuts and Bolts recipe. This super easy snack mix is ideal for football games, Super Bowl sunday and March Madness. My kids can’t stop eating it, so I assume that is a good sign. Happy New Year and here’s to a healthy, happy New Year! May all your wishes and dreams come true!

If you like kale and pesto, you will love this Kale Almond Pesto recipe. I thought is was so funny. My youngest son came home from school and started eating this as a dip with crackers. Proud mom moment! I love that my 3 kids are kale fans! See my post on MindBodyGreen on the health benefits of eating kale. This recipe is perfect served with fish, chicken or steak or mixed with pasta. It’s super easy to make too, and I think I just may make it to serve alongside our Thanksgiving turkey. Happy Friday everyone! So grateful for everyone of you who came by to read this post. Love, Alison

It seems bizarre to showcase Passover and Easter recipes already, but these holidays come early this year, just a few weeks away. I know people start planning their Passover menus ahead of time, and Passover desserts are always a challenge. Last year, I made this Passover Berry Crisp, and it came out great. I ended up making it several times, and I am positive it will be on this year’s list. Feel free to substitute 5 to 51/2 cups of apples or your favorite fruit for the berries. Happy spring holidays!

One of my favorite snacks of all time is granola. When I saw this recipe for Small Batch Honey-Pistachio Granola on my dear friend, Kelley’s blog, Mountain Mama Cooks, I had to make it. My kids and I loved it, and we have made it so many times that we know it by heart. I decided to change up her recipe just slightly to make this Small Batch Granola for some last minute holiday food gifts. I substituted pecans and almonds for her pistachios, but both versions are spectacularly simple. I found these super cute Christmas tree shaped jars at Walmart, and I had made budget friendly food gifts with ease. I gave one of these to my friends yesterday, and she called to tell me it was already gone. She asked for the recipe. Well, here it is….

I am always looking for new, healthy snack ideas for the kids, and if I can come up with a no-bake recipe idea, then even better. My two boys love dried dates, so I thought this combination of dates, nuts and flaxseed would make a great healthy snack, dessert or breakfast idea. You’ll love these too. No-Bake Date Energy Bars are not only “no-bake”, they are also gluten-free and perfect for all of my friends following the Paleo Diet. They also make a great pre or post workout snack so enjoy!

I love to experiment with “No-Bake” cookie recipes, especially those that are gluten-free, Paleo Diet or perfect for Passover which starts this week. I was excited to make this recipe for No-Bake Mini Energy Bites which I made and tweaked from a recipe I saw on the blog, “Gimme some Oven”. Her recipe is great, but if you want a Passover or gluten-free version, try grinding your favorite nuts and omitting the oatmeal. These are incredible, and I honestly could not keep my hands out of the container. My 3 kids had absolutely no idea there was flaxseed in them. Feel free to use almond butter instead of peanut butter and any of your favorite nuts.

It was great to have a Leap day last week for Leap year. It was like having an extra day (although I worked), but I was so excited to be a part of the “Delightful Discoveries for Leap Year Campaign” for Quaker. I had the chance to giveaway a $75 Visa gift card to a great blogger, Marnely Rodriguez, who won it from my blog a week ago. For my Leap Day discovery, I used my time to create a new Easy Trail Mix Recipe with the new Honey Nut Oatmeal Squares from Quaker. This is a wonderful Easy Trail Mix to eat for a great afternoon snack for the kids and adults. It also makes a great topping to stir in nonfat Greek yogurt, and it’s perfect to make to take on trips (I think I’ll be making some before spring break). My kids and neighbors went wild over it, and before I could get my hands on it, it was all gone.